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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23318980">Forgive Me</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/skitzzo/pseuds/skitzzo'>skitzzo</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 15:41:00</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,728</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23318980</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/skitzzo/pseuds/skitzzo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Varian apologizes to Eugene for his past evil actions.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>79</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Forgive Me</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is just a little imagine I wrote! Inspired by a fanart I saw on Pinterest &lt;3</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was a bright, sunny day in Corona. The warm sunshine streamed in through the castle windows, generously illuminating every hallway and room. Citizens basked outside, enjoying the weather. Castle staff lingered in the large windows, eager to soak in every last ray of sunlight. Corona was the sunshine kingdom after all; they didn't waste any sunny days.<br/>
On this particular day, Varian was strolling through the castle. He had just emerged from the library, a new book in his hands, of which was awaiting to be read. Being promoted to the Royal Engineer earned him access to the castle during the day, and every visit led to him coming back again and again to the library. Part of the reason was that he didn't dare venture anywhere else in the grand castle in fear of getting lost, and the other part was that reading kept his mind sharp. And when you're the Royal Engineer, that was a necessity. Besides, the castle offered an extensive catalogue of knowledgeable books, why not take advantage of that?<br/>
So as he quietly exited the library, he brushed his gloved fingertips over the cover. It was a thick one, so it should hopefully entertain him for a while. An absentminded smile curved upwards on his lips as he thought about sitting down and reading it. The past few days, Varian has found peace within his life and has had frequent moments of happiness. After all, why wouldn't he be happy? He was doing science everyday at a royal status, his father was proud of him and there were no more conflicts that threatened to uproot the kingdom. He was living happily ever after after all. Right?<br/>
Suddenly, jolly high pitched whistling entered Varian's ears, making him look up from his book and around the large hallway for the source of the noise. As far as he knew, the closest castle staff was the librarian who had checked out his book for him, and there's no way he would hear them from out here. Who was whistling?<br/>
A few seconds later, the whistler turned the corner ahead of him and Varian was pleasantly surprised to see none other than Eugene Fitzherbert. In his professional red, white and gold uniform, he merrily made his way down the hallway. Not a single care seemed to rest on his shoulders. A small laugh escaped from the alchemist as he watched for the quick few seconds that Eugene didn't notice him.<br/>
"Hey Eugene!" Varian smiled. Breaking out of a slight daze, Eugene briefly glanced around before his gaze landed on Varian.<br/>
"Varian! Hey!" Eugene waved, returning the smile, "What are you doing here in the castle?"<br/>
Shifting the book in his hands, Varian shrugged, "Just got out of the library. I needed a new read." He nodded his head to the left, towards the large doors of the library on the side wall. Eugene looked at the library doors, then back at Varian, his smile now softened but still there.<br/>
"Of course, gotta keep that little mind of yours in tip top shape." Eugene ruffled Varian's hair with his white gloved hand, earning a chuckle in response. He quickly readjusted his goggles.<br/>
"What are you doing?" He returned the question.<br/>
"Oh, you know, Captain of the Royal Guard things. Guarding the hallways, checking in on guards guarding other hallways, all that." Eugene flicked his hand aimlessly, as if it was as simple as getting dressed. "But I'm sure you're not interested in the specifics."<br/>
Varian grinned at him. Eugene was truly an admirable person, especially to him. He was almost like a role model. Hell, when they first met, he was brimming with excitement over meeting his hero. Given, he thought Eugene was the Flynn Rider from all of his books, but even after he found that out and learned his true character, he still looked up to him. He liked him so much that he dubbed them as Team Awesome, and the nickname is still stuck all these years later. Eugene was brave, selfless, strategic and very finely trained. It didn't surprise Varian that he was picked to be the new Captain of the Royal Guard; the real question is why wouldn't you pick someone like him? He's put his life on the line for Corona countless times, he was the only reasonable pick. And Varian admires Eugene now as much as he admired 'Flynn Rider' three years ago.<br/>
"I'm sure I wouldn't." Varian said, hand returning to his book when he finished securing his goggles on the top of his head. "You were a good pick for this position, Eugene."<br/>
"D'awww, thanks kid." Eugene laughed briefly at the sudden compliment.<br/>
"I mean it. You've willingly given up your life for Corona before. Even though you managed to get out of all your crazy fights alive thus far—which is another feat in itself—the fact that you've so willingly put your life out there for the greater good... it's really admirable."<br/>
Eugene's cheeks dusted red from all the flattery. "Thanks. It means a lot." He spoke in the low, calm voice Varian came to recognize as his voice of honesty. Then, the tone of his voice jumped up a few notches. "You know, you're right about the crazy fights part. I have been in quite a few difficult battles."<br/>
Varian scoffed teasingly. "Like what?"<br/>
"Well, there was one where I had to defend myself from a bunch of little leaves. Oh, and another where Rapunzel crashed my wedding with another woman, I had to--" Eugene gaze went amiss as he recalled the memories, but paused when Varian's expression fell to one of confusion. He gave a chortle. "It's a long story, I'll tell you about it sometime. It's a funny one. There was also one with a giant, rabid animal and these huge robots that looked like balls! It was the funniest thi—" Eugene immediately stopped himself once his brain caught up to his mouth. He slapped a hand over his mouth, a skin smacking noise enacting as he did so. The soft red on his cheeks from flattery changed to be bright red from embarrassment.<br/>
That fight with the giant rabid animal and circle robots was a fight he had against Varian.<br/>
Varian had gone insane—his dad was trapped within the amber and no one helped him even when he begged for it. So he fell to the dark side. He committed treason, kidnapped the queen and threatened the princess. He set his pet racoon, Ruddiger, of whom had a special serum injected in him to more than quadruple his size, on them. And when they came after him, he set a group of robots to fight them while he dealt with the princess. However, when his plans failed, he was thrown into the cold dungeon, and there he stayed for nearly two years.<br/>
Of course, now he was redeemed and friends with the princess again; in fact, Rapunzel looked to Varian as an adorable younger brother. Thank goodness. But his past was dark, and he didn't like looking back at or being reminded of it. So for Eugene to bring it up so suddenly without any warning was like tearing open the wound and dumping in a pound of salt.<br/>
"Varian, I'm sorry, I didn't—"<br/>
"It's okay, Eugene. At least... At least I know I put up a good fight." Varian weakly remarked, a wobbly smile forcing itself onto his lips and his shoulders hiking up to his ears in embarrassment.<br/>
He blinked, and a red hot pain seared across his chest. Images he wished to forget flashed in his mind. With every blink came a different image. People, scared. Terrified. Faces of anger. Sadness. Betrayal. He grimaced and bared his teeth as if he was experiencing physical pain. His eyes squeezed shut as he forced himself to push those thoughts away, and imagined locking them in an inescapable room. A long, heavy breath escaped his lungs.<br/>
"I'm sorry, Varian, I wasn't thinking clearly about what I was saying." Eugene apologized again.<br/>
Varian shook his head slowly, "No, it's okay. It's all in the past, right?" Despite his sure sounding statement, his gaze faltered, and he found himself staring at the floor as the dark thoughts began to seep back in his mind, this time with haunting sounds. People, shrieking. In fear. Pain. Hatred. Distrust. All because of him. He began to grip the book in his hands in an attempt to steady himself, but still found himself feeling woozy no matter how hard he grasped it.<br/>
The near two years Varian spent in the Corona Dungeon were two years he spent most entirely with nobody and nothing. A freezing cold, rough and most likely never before cleaned concrete bench that was held up by even dirtier chains in the wall became his new home. With nowhere to turn, he often found himself lost in his head. He thought about many things; his father, himself, his actions that lead him to being in this cell, Corona, the princess. Varian had lost everything. That was a main factor of why he agreed to help the Saporians in the first place—he had nothing left to lose. Another main factor that encouraged him was that when he learned they'd be erasing everyone's memories, he saw it as a chance to start over again. For the people of Corona to see him as Varian, the charming and intelligent alchemist from Old Corona and not the monster who kidnapped their queen and hurt them beyond measure.<br/>
Thankfully, Rapunzel managed to verbally smack some sense into him, leading him to get on the right side of history. Though it still left a nasty, sensitive scar. And frankly, he didn't like picking at it.<br/>
"Varian..?" Eugene spoke and moved warily, as if he was approaching a bomb. Varian was still trapped in a daze as the thoughts and memories now gushed in at a rapid speed, his normally curious and bright blue eyes now noticeably cloudy.<br/>
"I'm.. I'm sorry, Eugene." Varian uttered out the three words quietly, his throat beginning to harshly burn. "For everything I did. I'm sorry I hurt you, Rapunzel, Cassandra, Corona.." He stopped for a moment to catch his breath, but chose to trail off, not knowing how to properly say what he wanted to say. It hurt for him to speak at that point.<br/>
Eugene looked woefully at him, "It's okay kid, as long as you acknowledge what you did was wrong, which I know you have. You don't need to apologize anymore, I—"<br/>
"Do you still hate me, Eugene?" Varian cut him off, his head suddenly jerking up as he met his eyes.<br/>
"...What?"<br/>
"Do you still hate me?" He repeated. "I'd completely understand if you still do, I mean, half of Corona hated me even after I came back on their side, so, why wouldn't you?"<br/>
"Varian, I don't—"<br/>
"The first few weeks I came back, I was an outcast. People thought they were being discreet with their hate, but I noticed. I noticed it all. They'd... they’d inch away from me when I was walking down the street and whisper mean things while giving me fleeting looks. Make jokes to, "not get me angry or I'll kidnap their mom." It takes a toll on you, Eugene, it really does." Varian began to slowly pour out his emotions and thoughts as he hugged himself self-consciously, keeping the book pressed against his chest. "Please don't hate me, please."<br/>
Eugene placed a hand on Varian's shoulder reassuringly, the alchemist's gaze following the movement before going back to meet his eyes again. "I don't hate you, Varian."<br/>
"Thank you. At least I have one person on my side now. I mean, maybe I have more, but I don't know. In fact, who knows? M-Maybe everyone who smiles at me right now secretly hates my guts. I wouldn't be surprised." Varian spoke quietly and his words sounded all jumbled together; unconfident. "Maybe giving me the Royal Engineer position was a… a prank, a prank to pay for what I've done. Just a day or two more and you'll strip me of the title and send me away laughing. Aren’t I right? Be honest."<br/>
"No! Varian, I don't hate you, and while I can't speak for every soul in Corona, I can safely say that Rapunzel, Cassandra and a good amount of Coronians don't hate you either." Eugene exclaimed. He spoke firmly to reassure him. "And giving you the position of Royal Engineer, come on, you're a brilliant kid. Why wouldn't we give you the position?"<br/>
"Oh, I don't know, maybe because I've committed treason, kidnapped the queen, threatened the princess and injured so many people? Maybe that's it?" Varian tilted his head to the side as he broke eye contact with Eugene. His tone was bitter and almost sarcastic, but Eugene knew it wasn't directed towards him, but instead directed towards himself.<br/>
"Varian—”<br/>
"Y-You know, back when you all came back from... wherever you went, and Rapunzel and I were in that cell you busted us out of, you said that, after all I've done, h-how could she just trust me again. And you were right. A-After I hurt her like that, how could she… how could she, and why would she trust me again?" Varian's voice grew distant, and Eugene could tell that he wasn't necessarily talking to him anymore, rather, he was asking those questions to himself. "I-I’m so sorry. I'm sorry I hurt her, I'm sorry I hurt you, I'm sorry I hurt—" He began apologizing yet again, but cut himself off when his voice croaked in sadness.<br/>
Both of the two met eyes, and for a brief moment, stared at each other in a tense silence. Eugene looked at the younger man in surprise, while Varian's shoulders dropped as he adopted a look of anguish. No matter how much he tried to hold it back at that moment, Varian couldn't help his eyes beginning to grow misty.<br/>
"Are you.. crying?" Eugene asked, genuinely shocked.<br/>
All it took was those three words for Varian to let three loud sobs shake his body before hurling himself into Eugene's arms. His book dropped to the floor in a rather clunky affair, but he didn't pay any mind to it. He just put his arms around Eugene, buried his head in his chest and cried. Eugene felt like someone had shot him with a stun gun as his hands hesitated mid-air for several moments before hastily wrapping his arms around Varian in return.<br/>
While Eugene and Varian were really good friends, good enough to call themselves Team Awesome, they've never had any moments quite like this one together. They were always joking together or having a good time, not helplessly crying into the other's arms. Plus, Eugene knew that Varian wasn’t exactly the type to wear his heart on his sleeve. Instead he wanted people to constantly see the best of him; he wanted to make people proud of him. Make himself worthwhile. However, behind every person's front, no matter how suave or strong, was someone who was cracked and falling apart.<br/>
"Varian, it's okay.." Eugene said. He gently patted him on the back as rough sobs continued to shake his body.<br/>
"I'm s-sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so.. s-so sorry." Was all that Varian could choke out in his state, "I'm—I’m sorry I'm sorry I’m sorry I'm sorry."<br/>
Oddly enough, Eugene was growing to be the one sorry for Varian in that moment. It was now clear in the way he talked about his past actions with such a small but fierce hatred in his voice and the way he caved in so easily that he beat himself up over the past almost everyday, if not daily. When Varian frantically and hopelessly apologized right then, Eugene was deeply saddened to hear his voice full of so much despair when it was usually full of fun, youthful curiosity.<br/>
"Please.. p-please forgive me, please," Varian begged, his voice drenched with tears. His grip on Eugene tightened. "Please don't hate me."<br/>
Eugene felt a spot on his red and gold jacket begin to dampen due to Varian's tears and sighed sympathetically.<br/>
He wasn't good with kids, crying, or the combination of the two. In fact, when other people cry, he himself starts to cry. And he had a really ugly crying face. On most days he usually went out of his way to avoid depressing situations where someone would cry. Though, right then, he did the best he could to comfort the alchemist as he sobbed in his arms.<br/>
"I don't hate you." Eugene said solemnly. "Nobody does. You're an amazing, bright kid, Varian. We can't change the past no matter how much we want to, that's a fact we have to live with. What you did was wrong, but that isn't you. The Varian I know is smart, kind, and confident. You’ve changed as a person. And I'm so proud that you have."<br/>
There was no noticeable response from him, and he instead continued to cry. Smoothing a hand over the back of Varian's head, Eugene spoke again, "You know, I was worried people would hate me too when I first came to Corona. I was a thief, people hated thieves. Rapunzel was the only one who enjoyed my presence. But you know what I did? I chose to change. For the better. Now look where I am. As long as you strive to be better than yesterday, then you’re doing amazing. And I know you do that already,, you amaze me everyday with that bright little mind of yours."<br/>
Varian cautiously raised his head, and Eugene's heart fell upon seeing his red face, defined tear lines streaked straight down his face and tears, some flowing and some yet to fall.<br/>
“Do you really mean that?" He muttered quietly. Eugene nodded once with a proud smile on his face. Placing his face back into Eugene's chest, Varian hugged him even tighter than before. He was practically squeezing the soul out of him, but he didn't mind. Sobs still continued to enact from the alchemist's throat, but Eugene had a little hope that some of them were out of relief.<br/>
A small gasp came from behind Eugene, and while Varian most likely didn't hear it over his cries, the former glanced over his shoulder to see who it was. Standing there was a shocked castle staff, staring with wide eyes and a hand by their mouth. They were bewildered by the sight, and rightfully so--it wasn't everyday you saw the Royal Engineer sobbing their heart out into the Captain of the Royal Guard's arms. But Eugene simply gestured away with his head to the castle staff, as both of his hands were occupied; one rhythmically patting Varian's back and the other returning the tight embrace. The castle staff quickly nodded before scampering away the way they came. Eugene then returned his attention to Varian, keeping a steady beat with his pats and holding him close as he sobbed and sobbed.<br/>
The two stood there for a while. It felt like hours to Eugene, but it was more around twenty or so minutes. Varian stood there in his arms, crying and apologizing, to which Eugene would calmly reply that it was okay.<br/>
The whole situation made Eugene realize something. He realized that everyone was weak. Some people simply have a higher tolerance for pain. And in Varian's case, some don't want to drag others down with their emotions. But sometimes, you have to trust and confide within others in your life. Let down your walls and let them in. It was now obvious to Eugene that Varian had been building up a lot of self hatred over the past few days and chose to shove it aside until, eventually, he exploded. Though Eugene was glad Varian trusted him enough to let out all of his emotions onto him, it saddened him that he kept it in for that long. In life, it's better to lay out your emotions and tackle them bit by bit rather than letting it build and build until you can't take it.<br/>
Eventually, Varian parted from Eugene and dabbed at his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt, which left damp stains in the white fabric, but he'd just wash it later. Just as Eugene would have to wash the tear stains out of his Captain of the Royal Guard jacket, and refused to let Varian wash it for him no matter how many times he asked and apologized.<br/>
"I'm sorry for blowing up on you like that, Eugene." Varian sheepishly chuckled. "I know that was totally unexpected, but I.. I really needed that. Thank you for being there and for listening to and caring for me."<br/>
Eugene smiled, "No problem, kid. But next time, don't bottle up your emotions like that. Come to me if you have something you need to get off your chest, or go to Rapunzel if you need someone to talk to, she's really good at that sort of thing." The two laughed at the mention of the sunshine princess.<br/>
"Speaking of Rapunzel, will you tell her about..?" Varian trailed off with his sentence, but Eugene got the gist.<br/>
"Not unless you want me to."<br/>
"..I'd rather you not, please. Keep it between Team Awesome?"<br/>
"Of course." Eugene raised his hand for a high five, of which the latter gladly gave.<br/>
The air felt a lot more calm. Even before Varian had his outburst, the atmosphere around felt tense, he just didn’t acknowledge it. He thought it was normal to feel on edge like that all the time. But after venting to Eugene, it felt easier to breathe. A massive weight was lifted off his shoulders. And not only that, but it strengthened their friendship, which was of course a bonus.<br/>
"You can come to me if you need emotional support too, Eugene," Varian spoke after a minute of silence, "I know I'm still technically a kid but, I want you to trust me like I trust you. Now that I know you don't hate me. Team Awesome is forever, right?"<br/>
Eugene chuckled, nodding, "I will, I promise.” He gave Varian a wide smile, “Team Awesome is forever."</p>
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